Overview

It was New Year's Day. Rikke Schmidt Kjærgaard, a young mother and scientist, was celebrating with family and friends when she was struck down with a sudden fever. Within hours, she'd suffered multiple organ failure and was clinically dead. Then, brought back to the edge of life--trapped in a near-death coma--she was given a 5 percent chance of survival. She awoke to find herself completely paralyzed, with blinking as her sole means of communicating with the outside world. The Blink of an Eye is Rikke's gripping account of being locked inside her own body, and what it took to painstakingly relearn every basic life skill--from breathing and swallowing, speaking and walking, to truly living again. Much more than an account of recovery against all odds--this is, at its heart, a celebration of love, family, and every little thing that matters when life hangs in the balance.

Full Product Details

9781615195718

Table of Contents

Reviews

Praise from the UK for The Blink of an Eye Powerful . . . As gripping as a thriller, The Blink of an Eye compels you to appreciate everything you daily take for granted. --Sunday Express A frightening, and powerful piece of work. --Sunday Post (rating 9/10) Her fighting spirit emerges on every page of the book. --Sunday Herald Magazine Most exceptional . . . a calm, measured, impeccably lucid account of a truly horrifying experience . . . You come away profoundly touched. --from the Foreword by Bill Bryson It's a wonderful meditation on the human condition and a testament to the power of love. It was heartbreaking and life-affirming in equal measure. An extraordinary story and a joy to read. --Max Pemberton, columnist and author of Trust Me, I'm a (Junior) Doctor

Praise from the UK for The Blink of an Eye Powerful . . . As gripping as a thriller, The Blink of an Eye compels you to appreciate everything you daily take for granted. --Sunday Express A frightening, and powerful piece of work. --Sunday Post (rating 9/10) Her fighting spirit emerges on every page of the book. --Sunday Herald Magazine The most spellbinding and harrowing story I believe I have ever heard. It is the story you are about to read. --from the Foreword by Bill Bryson It's a wonderful meditation on the human condition and a testament to the power of love. It was heartbreaking and life-affirming in equal measure. An extraordinary story and a joy to read. --Max Pemberton, columnist and author of Trust Me, I'm a (Junior) Doctor

A rich reading experience . . . . an inspirational story of beating the odds. --Kirkus Reviews The author of The Blink of an Eye will tell you what it is like to be conscious in a body that cannot respond to the outside world. It will help you understand what conscious is. --Temple Grandin, author of Thinking in Pictures and The Autistic Brain Most exceptional . . . a calm, measured, impeccably lucid account of a truly horrifying experience . . . You come away profoundly touched. --from the Foreword by Bill Bryson Praise from the UK for The Blink of an Eye Powerful . . . As gripping as a thriller, The Blink of an Eye compels you to appreciate everything you daily take for granted. --Sunday Express A frightening, and powerful piece of work. --Sunday Post (rating 9/10) Her fighting spirit emerges on every page of the book. --Sunday Herald Magazine It's a wonderful meditation on the human condition and a testament to the power of love. It was heartbreaking and life-affirming in equal measure. An extraordinary story and a joy to read. --Max Pemberton, columnist and author of Trust Me, I'm a (Junior) Doctor

Author Information

Rikke Schmidt Kjærgaard is a scientist, mother of three, and cofounder of Graphicure, a start-up company developing software solutions that empower patients to better understand their disease and manage treatment. She is also cofounder and CEO of the Danish Science Club, a mentorship network for children and young adults. Prior to her illness, she was an associate professor at Aarhus University. She holds a PhD in science communication, with past positions as a postdoctoral fellow at MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit in Cambridge, UK, and at Harvard Medical School. In 2012, she was elected Member of The Young Academy under the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters. Bill Bryson is the New York Times-bestselling author of several books.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available